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Category Archives: HIV personal stories

Recently a woman, interviewed on ”iTV This Morning“, has shared her shocking story of how she contracted the HIV virus. She told the story of how she met her ex-boyfriend in 2007 and of how it was not until 2010 that she found out she was infected.

When Sarah Watson, mother of two, started dating Henry Assumang, she had no idea he was HIV positive. He never told her in the months they were together. Less than two years afterwards, they broke up because, she says, his behaviour changed and she started to find it hard to trust him.

She only found out in 2010 that she had contracted the virus when the police knocked on her door to ask whether she had had intercourse with Mr. Assumang. Her ex-boyfriend however died earlier this August and always denied that he had the virus. However, he was already receiving treatment in 2006. He was charged with grievous bodily harm (GBH); however, he died before he could be trialled.

Ms. Watson is now living with the virus and is still very worried. When she tested positive, the doctors had told her she only had a few months to live.

This story shows how it is always hard to trust a partner. It is important to talk about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with the partner but nobody should stop at that. When starting a new relationship, it is highly recommended to get tested as that is the only way to find out whether one has HIV or any other STI.

Getting tested has become easier these days. Also, it is essential to remember that the earlier one gets tested for HIV, the easier it is to treat the disease. Lots of improvements have been done to cure HIV in the past few years, however it is still an infection that can be fatal. Again, if you think you are at risk of having contracted the virus, you should get tested as soon as you can.

The new post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help to not contract HIV if a person is infected and starts the treatment within 72 hours of being in contact with the virus. HIV is a serious infection and there is no cure. However, the earlier you cure, the more chances there are for one to live his/her life as close to normal as possible.